EU project GRAFOOD: Active GRAphene based FOOD packaging system for a modern society

Food packaging is increasing in response to challenges of a modern society. The function of food packaging has evolved from preservation to aspects such as material reduction, safety and environmental. Active packaging is a very dynamic field with continuous advancements. GRAFOOD project will develops a lab-scale prototype of active food package based on paper and PLA (polylactic) film, modified with graphene oxide activated by probiotic bacteria and by nanostructured Ag and TiO2, respectively [1-3]. These materials combine the excellent preservation and antimicrobial properties of probiotic bacteria, Ag, TiO2 and graphene oxide with the tailored physical-mechanical and surface properties of cellulose fiber and of PLA structure. The specific objectives are: to characterize the packages currently used for cheese and meat storage, from each participating country and to analyse of stakeholders expectations regarding the currently used packaging; to design, to manufacture and to characterize the prototype of the active packages; to validate the prototype and to optimize its manufacture technology; to reuse and recover the active packages and to establish their reproducibility during cheese and meat storage; to perform the market study regarding the perception of the consumers and of the food packaging producers on the new active packages; to start the procedure to homologate the most efficient paper and PLA film based active package; to start the procedure to obtain the Romanian and European patent. The project is expected to generate multi-lateral positive impact for: academic research teams and their universities, because improves: the scientific knowledge about the role of the active packaging on preservative activity of food during storage; an international visibility of the research teams involved in GRAFOOD consortium; the training of the young researchers; environment in a friendly manner, from the two points of view: reducing the domestic garbage by extending the food shelf life and recycling and reusing the used active package; society, because the active packages offer new solution to consume a safety food for a longer time as compared with the conventional one; international exchange, between the researchers from academic entities and industrial companies. The consortium includes 6 partners: 2 universities (UTCN-Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Romania - coordinator, UNICAM - University of Camerino, Italy), 2 research institutes (NIC - National Institute of Chemistry Slovenia and ANDA - Andaltec, Spain) and 2 SME`s (CEPRO - Ceprohart, Romania, SYN - Synbiotec, Italy). GRAFOOD project will address innovative products or technologies based on functionalized surfaces and coatings that might have strong societal impact, on e.g. safety, economics, employment and life quality, and are expected to create synergies between industry and research.